Prime Minister Turnbull gets a solar shock in his own electorate

April 14, 2016: New polling data, conducted by ReachTEL in the Prime Minister’s own seat of Wentworth, is a wake up call to the Prime Minister and the Federal Government in relation to their policies on renewable energy.

ReachTEL conducted a survey of 788 residents across the federal electorate of Wentworth during the evening of 6th April, 2016.

“The data clearly shows that the Prime Minister Turnbull’s own electorate of Wentworth, ranks second last out of every Australian electorate for uptake of solar power. It’s abundantly clear that there’s a great deal of work to do in his electorate to meet the demands and wishes of his constituents on renewable energy,” Claire O’Rourke, National Director, Solar Citizens said.

“ReachTEL tells us that 63.5% of people surveyed would be more likely to vote for a party which had a policy to gradually transition Australia away from coal-fired power to 100% renewable power by 2030.

“That was followed by the revelation that nearly 47.1% of those same people would be less likely to vote for a party that was holding back the transition to 100% renewables by 2030,” she said.

“What is truly fascinating is how important people think renewable energy is - 12.2% of those polled said that the area of ‘renewable energy’ could influence their vote at the next Federal Election, ranking higher than national security and health.

“Large numbers of people’s voting intentions are clearly being influenced by political decisions and policy measures on renewables by the major parties. The Prime Minister should note that 6.2% of voters in Wentworth surveyed are currently uncommitted to their vote, and 28.6% are just ‘somewhat committed’,” Ms O’Rourke said.

The release of the new polling data coincided with an action by Solar Citizens, who today delivered a postcard petition to Prime Minister Turnbull’s office calling for a clear vision, and the required policy settings, for an Australia that’s powered by renewables.

The petition was signed by over 10,000 Australians.

Alongside the petition, a massive "Room for Improvement on Solar and Renewables" certificate was delivered.